Gravely 150 Pro - Problems.

This mower has always ran good - one of my first mowers to buy and a proven warrior. Well seems like last year she started smoking white smoke from muffler, it would get hot and usually burn off and run good untill I needed her again.

I started her last week and she smoked us out of the shop.....

1. had fuel mixed with oil
2. had the oil fuel mix coming out of muffler along with smoke
3. had alot of fuel coming into carb - noticed when pulled chord w air filter off.

So i cleaned the carb up - made sure float was working, changed oil, replaced rings, and every gasket I could. Low and behold upon starting it again last night - she blew smoke and oil again. Don think there was any fuel in oil...but im at a loss for what else it could be. When i relized i did all that for nothing I wasnt able to think clearly anymore anyway....lol.

If you guys have any ideas what to check next Im all ears and I would greatly appreciate it. If not thanks for taking the time to read.

Ahhh.....Sometimes cleaning doesn't help, Replace the float needle valve assembly and make sure there's no fuel inside the float then call it a day.....I never go into a known flooding carb without replacing this, It saves time having to go back in and time is money.....

piston slapper;4647585 said:

You never learn anything until you admit you don't know it all...

Click to expand...

MannsLawnService;5126387 said:

some times the man in my mirror isn't so smart...

Click to expand...

"Why go out preserved when you can go out beat up, worn out, sliding in sideways screaming, Holy Sh!t What A Ride" !!!​

Are you sure that smoke wasn't coming from unburnt oil leftover in the muffler from before you rebuilt the engine ?
It can take 5 to 10 minutes to burn out an oily muffler..
Did you deglaze the cylinder ?...stagger the rings?...check the reed valve ?...

If You Have All The Answers...Except The One You Need...You're Not Trying Hard Enough...
Do The Work

Piston Slapper - I let it run for around 5 mins, was tempted to let it idle a good while longer with that thought in mind.....it just started smoking so fast...figured it couldnt just be left over oil.

I deglazed, staggered - I assume the reed valve is he little valve by the rockers...it looked ok to me....I unscrewed and screwed back in....it looked to be in working order. What usually goes wrong with the Reed Valve? What should i look for?

Thanks Again for the replies and the help. Im recharged and ready to get back into this thing.

On the fc420 the reed valve seldom breaks...but it does bend...make sure it is flat against the head....or at least within .015 to .020.... Go ahead and run it at mid speed for 5 to 10 minutes and see if the smoke clears....cant hurt anything....
Was there anymore fuel in the oil this time ?

If You Have All The Answers...Except The One You Need...You're Not Trying Hard Enough...
Do The Work

This mower has always ran good - one of my first mowers to buy and a proven warrior. Well seems like last year she started smoking white smoke from muffler, it would get hot and usually burn off and run good untill I needed her again.

I started her last week and she smoked us out of the shop.....

1. had fuel mixed with oil
2. had the oil fuel mix coming out of muffler along with smoke
3. had alot of fuel coming into carb - noticed when pulled chord w air filter off.

So i cleaned the carb up - made sure float was working, changed oil, replaced rings, and every gasket I could. Low and behold upon starting it again last night - she blew smoke and oil again. Don think there was any fuel in oil...but im at a loss for what else it could be. When i relized i did all that for nothing I wasnt able to think clearly anymore anyway....lol.

If you guys have any ideas what to check next Im all ears and I would greatly appreciate it. If not thanks for taking the time to read.[/QUOT

How old is the unit? Kawasaki hasn't made the FC 420 engine for quite a while, I thought they went all V-twins a long time ago, at least 8 years ago maybe???